Winner
by The Child of Time
Summary: “You’re not a loser, Booth. You’re quite the opposite, actually.” “So I’m a winner?” Booth laughed. Brennan shrugged, “Sure. You’re a winner.” Booth’s smile grew larger, “So…what’s my prize?” Post Con Man in the Meth Lab. Brennan apologizes. BB of course!


**Disclaimer: (sniffles) Please…no. This is torture, you know. Fine. I do not own Bones. Yet. I'm getting it for Christmas. (nods)**

**A/N: Alright. So, I have no idea where this came from. I think I may have a writing disorder. I originally bribed my muse into helping me write a drabble for the prompt "give up". Well, it just kept going..and going…and going…until I had this. It's not as fluffy as I wanted it to be, but I suppose it's alright.**

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Temperance Brennan was an intelligent person. She knew that perfection was impossible, and therefore, she could not be perfect. But that didn't mean that she didn't at least _attempt_ to make fewer, or better yet, _no_ mistakes. Yes, you could label her a perfectionist. She absolutely hated being wrong or "messing up" in any way. But right now, she realized that she had made a huge mistake.

She had no idea how to fix it. She wasn't a people person. That was Booth's territory. And normally, if she were in a circumstance like this, she would ask Booth for help. Not this time, though. This time it was Booth that she had hurt, and that made it feel ten times worse. Booth meant a lot to her, he really did. And while she liked to view herself as a completely independent person, she wasn't oblivious to the fact that she depended on Booth more and more as time went on. She depended on Booth much more than she would like to admit, actually. And yet, she enjoyed the feeling of having someone she could depend on.

Brennan truly did value her relationship with Booth. Sure, they were partners. Yes, they were friends. Best friends, even. But there was something else that they had… something that Brennan couldn't quite name. Something that she was afraid to name. Something that she believed was so fragile that even naming it could cause it to shatter. But it was too late now, because she _had _shattered it. She had shattered it by believing Jared. She had shattered it by not responding right away when Booth asked her if she thought her was a loser.

The question still baffled her. Seeley Booth, a loser? How could he even think that? How could she _let_ him think that? Why didn't she correct him? How could she let him think that she thought that he was anything less than amazing?

Yes, she had really messed things up. And she had no idea how to fix it. But she tried. She tried her hardest because she couldn't imagine the pain of "losing" Booth again. So she gave a toast. She was never really good at apologizing, but she tried to make him understand how sorry she was as she went on and on about real alpha males and not letting herself be distracted by shiny baubles ever again. She had even said that anthropology was wrong.

She didn't know exactly what she expected to come from her apology. Maybe some sort of peace? Maybe the painful feeling of regret in her stomach to just magically go away because she had said 'sorry'? Well, it didn't. The regret and guilt were still there after her toast. They were still there as she told him that what he was doing for his brother was not fair. And they were still there when she walked outside to check on him, bringing cake with her.

She asked if he was coming in for cake, even though she already knew that he would probably say no. She may not be an expert, but you didn't have to have much skill in reading body language to know that he was upset.

"Bones, I just need some time, that's all." He answered.

She nodded, trying to think of the best response. She wanted to be there for him like he was always there for her. But did he even want her there?

"Do you need time and space?" she asked.

He looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "Just some time." Sure, it wasn't the full on charm smile that made her heart skip a beat. But it wasn't him being angry at her either.

She cautiously sat down next to him, not wanting to do anything wrong. Not wanting to make any more mistakes. She held out the cake and he picked up the extra fork. She smiled at that thought. She knew him well enough to bring an extra fork, because even if he didn't want to come back in, he'd still want some cake. They each took a bite of cake in comfortable silence. That was the thing with them- they could sit next to each other, not say a word, and still feel that it had been a great conversation. Because they didn't need words. Sometime words weren't the best thing.

"My dad drank…" Booth stated quietly.

He really was amazing. He was opening up to her. She had completely "screwed up" as Angela put it, and Booth was still talking to her. She listened quietly while he talked, occasionally offering a comforting gesture like gently rubbing his arm or back. When he finished, she gave him a "guy hug".

"I'm so sorry, Booth." She whispered, "I'm so sorry." And somehow, through that yet to be named "something" between them, he knew exactly what she meant by 'sorry', so no further explanation was needed.

"Thanks, Bones." He said quietly, giving her another one of his half-smiles, "You're a good listener, you know that?"

Brennan smiled back at him. "Wait here." She instructed before standing up and walking back inside. She returned a few minutes later with his gift in her hands.

"Happy Birthday." she said in an almost shy voice, handing it to him. She waited nervously as he tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a framed photo.

"It's a picture…of us. It's perfect, Bones." And there it was. The charm smile had returned. Brennan couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, I was considering getting you another flashy tie or bright socks," she began to explain, "but it seemed too cliché. Then I considered buying you tickets to Hawaii or trying to figure out how to get you a coin with your face on it. But Angela said that it should be something sentimental. So…"

Booth chuckled at his partner's babbling. "It's perfect, Bones." He repeated, "Thank you."

Brennan nodded, as if trying to process that information. "Oh. Okay."

"Are you going to sit down?" Booth asked with a smirk, "Or do you plan on standing there for the next hour?"

Brennan sat down next to Booth again, a wave of relief washing over her. He had forgiven her. They were alright again.

"You're not a loser, Booth. You're quite the opposite, actually."

"So I'm a winner?" Booth laughed.

Brennan shrugged, "Sure. You're a winner."

Booth's smile grew larger, "So…what's my prize?"

Brennan rolled her eyes at him, feigning annoyance. But what she really felt was happiness. Happiness that he wasn't mad at her. It wasn't the first time she had made a mistake. And, unfortunately, she knew that it wouldn't be the last. And yet, he hadn't given up on her. Through it all, he had never given up on her and he never would. And that meant a lot to her. Someday she would let him know that. Someday she would tell him all of these things, and she'd talk to him about her feelings. They would even name that "something" between them. Someday…eventually. Because everything happens eventually. Booth had said so.

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**Raise your hand if you're suffering from Booth withdrawal. You poor thing! You know, there's a treatment for that. If you review, Booth will pop out of the computer screen and you'll be healed!**


End file.
